AI AnalyticsEconomy and Trading

‘It was the internet then, it is AI now’: IMF upgrades U.S. growth outlook but sees ‘echoes’ of late ’90s dot-com boom | Fortune

The International Monetary Fund has upgraded its U.S. economic growth forecast while highlighting concerning parallels between today’s AI investment surge and the late 1990s dot-com boom. Despite tariff uncertainties, massive data center investments and computing power are driving economic resilience.

The International Monetary Fund has delivered a cautiously optimistic update to its global economic outlook, raising U.S. growth projections for 2025 while drawing striking parallels between today’s artificial intelligence investment boom and the dot-com era of the late 1990s. The international lending organization now projects the U.S. economy will expand by 2% next year, slightly higher than previous forecasts, as AI-driven investments help offset the dampening effects of trade tensions and tariffs.

Revised Economic Projections Show Modest Improvement

Economy and TradingGovernment

Government Shutdown Impact: 3 Critical Ways Small Businesses Suffer

Federal shutdowns create devastating ripple effects across America’s small business landscape. From frozen contract payments to halted SBA lending, the economic damage accumulates daily. Understanding these impacts helps businesses prepare contingency plans.

The ongoing government shutdown represents more than political gridlock—it’s an economic crisis for America’s small business community. While federal employees face immediate financial hardship, the collateral damage extends deep into the private sector, particularly affecting small enterprises that form the backbone of local economies. The history of government shutdowns in the United States shows these events create lasting economic scars that outlive the political disputes that cause them.

Contract Payment Freezes Cripple Government Vendors